Disclaimer Time: I don't own LotF, William Golding does. But if I did, I probably would have introduced females and twisted it into a romance novel for sure.
"The wickedness of others becomes our own wickedness because it kindles something evil in our own hearts."
-Carl Jung
Cassie lay quietly in the toasty sand. It felt heavenly to be so comfortable. She lifted another handful into her palm. The sunlight streaming through the opened side of the shelter illuminated the pale sand into a brilliant gold. She gently spread apart her fingers and the golden grains trickled downward, like liquid gold pouring back into a golden sea.
A shadow appeared on sand around her. Her golden fantasy returned to being ordinary yellow sand. She raised her eyes. It was the hefty boy, Piggy. He had a coconut shell in each hand.
"I brought you more water. Jack told me you wanted some more," he said. Cassie didn't move to take the shells. Piggy shifted his weight and cautiously laid the shells at his feet. Cassie narrowed her green eyes and deepened her frown.
"Why are you doing this? Why isn't Jack doing this?" she asked. The boy shifted again. His glasses crept down his nose. His chubby fingers reached up and nudged them back into place.
"He wanted to go hunting some more before it got dark. Ralph didn't wa-need my help gathering fruit, so I brought you water," he said softly. Cassie's eyes brightened angrily. Jack was so irresponsible, so uncaring, so…probably typical Jack. She glanced over at the uncomfortable lad before her. Being so useless physically, he must have felt useful to be able to help her. The mature thing for her to act would be accept the water and offer an apology for her aggressive behavior earlier.
"Thanks for the water," she said gruffly. Piggy waited. Cassie reached forward and guzzled both shells. One out of two would work. Piggy cleared his throat to catch her attention.
"Well, let me properly introduce myself. Everyone calls me Piggy-"
"What's your real name?"
"Rupert."
"U-huh. Continue Piggy."
"I turned thirteen approximately three months ago. I also have asthma," he announced. She raised her eyebrows. She knew a girl who had asthma. Everyone at school called her Breathless Beverly. Cassie remembered walking in on her in the girl's lavatory. Beverly had been crying in the third stall.
"What about everyone else here?"
"Well, Jack, Ralph, and Maurice are all fifteen. Ralph's the leader, too. Jack's the leader of the hunters. Roger's fourteen. He's Jack's right hand. Robert, Simon, and I are all about thirteen. I don't know much about Robert, but Simon is helpful when you need him. Oh, I almost forgot the twins, Sam and Eric. They're thirteen, too…" The list continued. Piggy's voice droned on, naming more than a dozen boys. The youngest on the island was Percival, a sensitive nine year old. As if a light had turned on, or perhaps that was Piggy shifting to the side and allowing more sunlight in, Cassie became more aware of a small fact.
She was the only female on an island inhabited by adolescent males.
On cue, the thoughts began to pile up in her head. How was she going to bathe? She couldn't sleep in a shelter filled with boys. Where would she use the bathroom? What if her clothes became ruined? What if that time of month…?
There must have been a look on her face. Piggy asked her if she was alright because she was looking a bit pale.
"Why would I be alright? I'm the only girl on this island and I'm not allowed to move on my own! What if I need to use the restroom or my time comes?" Piggy cocked his head to the side. "What time?"
Cassie's mouth dropped and her eyes widened. He looked genuinely perplexed. How could he not know? If he didn't, she sure wasn't going to explain. It was embarrassing for her when her grandmother talked to her about 'becoming a woman.' She could barely imagine how mortifying it would be for a boy.
A small lad ran into the shelter, disturbing the awkward silence. He was doubled-over and gasping for breath. He lifted his head and his dark blue eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Jack! He's returned! He killed a pig!" he shouted. Before Piggy or Cassie could react, he disappeared out the way he had come. Piggy removed his spectacles and rubbed them on his grubby shirt. "I'd better go find Ralph."
He left Cassie sitting in her pile of ordinary yellow sand.
Night came quickly. The gold and tangerine rays of the setting sun spread like fingers tips across the beach, staining the sand into rich hues. As the sun plunged into the sea, the finger tips of gold and orange scraped the sand. Finally, they were pulled into the foamy waves and the light in the world vanished. The speckles of the stars illuminated the darkness accompanied by the glowing of the moon.
On the beach, a large fire burned bright and hot. More than a dozen boys sat around the blazing fire, a stick plunged deep into the heart. Occasionally one would remove his stick and gobble up the meat roasted upon the end.
Cassie could hear them whooping and hollering. The smell of roasted meat tempted her nostrils and watered her mouth. Piggy never came back, and no one brought her any of the spoils. If only she was allowed to walk, she'd stuff herself full of the sizzling, tantalizing meat.
But she couldn't walk. She rested her arms upon her propped knees and laid her head down on her arms, gazing out at the black ocean. The walk wouldn't be that far. Surely she could make it undamaged.
A fair head appeared in front of her view.
"Come on Cassie. I can help you walk over," Ralph offered. Cassie nodded vigorously. Ralph smiled and came around to her side. She wrapped an arm around his back, and he carefully positioned his around her waist. They rose and walked towards the roasting pit, just beyond the cluster of shelters.
"Won't Piggy be upset that I'm exerting my leg?" Cassie asked. Ralph chuckled.
"I'm pretty sure you're not going to die hobbling fifty paces to a fire," he replied. His pleasant mood was rubbing off on Cassie and she couldn't help grinning.
As they arrived, Cassie noticed Jack sitting upon a small log while everybody else sat in the sand. Roger sat beside him on his right with Maurice on Jack's left. The rest of the boys were mixed together around the dimming fire. Ralph brought them to the other side of the fire opposite of Jack. Ralph lowered both of them into the warm sand. Piggy looked at Cassie disapproval.
Cassie tilted her head upward, and glared down at Piggy with narrowed eyes. Cassie received 'the look' numerous times from her grandmother at afternoon tea. Cassie would usually appear for tea with a stained dress and knotted hair. Soon after, she had mastered 'the look' from example. Piggy frowned, but looked away.
Sitting beside Cassie on her right was a dark haired boy she hadn't seen before. He leaned towards her and smiled shyly.
"Ralph had me save you a piece of meat. I'm Simon," he handed her a piece of browned pig's meat, still warm. She took it tenderly, and smiled at Simon.
"Thank you Simon," she whispered softly. She ate it slowly, trying to make it last. The huddle of boys, plus Cassie, sat hushed around the low fire. Jack was beginning the tale of how he slayed the wild pig.
"The underbrush was deep, but I fought my way through with only my bare hands. It was tough, but the jungle's no match for Jack Merridew."
His tale continued long into the night. The fire was no longer burning, and all that remained was a cooling pile of embers. Cassie yawned and stretched her arms over her head. Jack certainly put effort into making himself appear heroic.
"..and then I brought the beast back to our camp where we feasted upon his body!" Everybody, minus Cassie, applauded loudly for Jack's epic tale. He bowed deeply, absorbing the attention like a sponge. Cassie was tired. She wasn't going to sit and wait for Jack to finish his vanity show.
"Ralph, can you help me back?" Cassie whispered as loudly as she could muster. Her throat was still raw from the day's earlier commotion. He heard her and nodded. As she prepared to hobble back to the shelters, she felt a strange sensation, as if someone were watching her. Watching her very intently. She twisted her head and met eyes with Jack. He was staring blankly at her, no emotion evident on his clear face. He rose slowly and shouted over the noise of the group.
"Alright! It's late. Everybody get to bed."
"Jack!"
"Oh, come on!"
"I said GET!" All the boys scrambled around the pit, retrieving their sticks, and hustled back to the shelters. Only Jack, Ralph, and Cassie were left at the fire pit. Jack strolled up to them and glared at Ralph.
"I'll take Cassie back to the shelters," he said quietly, but forcefully. Ralph glanced from Cassie to Jack.
"But I thought you didn't want to be her babysitter?"
"I've changed my mind."
"Jack, how are you going to take care of her if you're out hunting all day?"
"Who are you? Her mother? She's my responsibility, is she not?" Jack sneered. Ralph shifted his weight nervously. He looked over at Cassie, and shrugged apologetically. Cassie averted her gaze and crossed her arms, showing her displeasure. She wasn't bothered by Ralph not helping her back. She just didn't want Jack to help her. He was arrogant, callous, and somewhat aggressive. In other words, not the best company.
They waited silently as Ralph trotted back towards the shelters, barely visible in the darkness. Cassie could feel in the sand Jack shift and turn towards her. She wondered what happened to shoes. She couldn't remember taking them off. Oh, well. She didn't like shoes; they were always tight around her feet. She felt free without them.
Cassie reluctantly held up her arm, waiting for Jack to move them. Her unhurt leg was going numb. All her weight was leaning upon her right half of her body. Jack moved forward and placed his arm around her back. As Cassie placed her right arm around his neck, Jack leaned down and snaked his other arm behind her knees and lifted her up. Cassie squealed with surprise.
"What are you doing!? Put me down!" she demanded. She felt the lightness of Jack's breath against her right ear. Despite the coolness in the night air, Cassie's face became very warm.
"You wouldn't want to reopen your cut, would you?" he asked softly. He started walking towards the shelters. Cassie snorted.
"It's just a cut. I've gotten a lot of them. Piggy's wrong," she smiled deviously in the darkness. "I didn't know you followed Piggy's order so heartily." Jack stiffened. Apparently, she'd struck a nerve. Good.
"I don't follow anyone," he muttered.
"What about Ralph? He's the leader. You have to follow his orders," Cassie goaded.
They were coming upon the shelters. The moonlight reflected off the sand and illuminated the crude shelters. The surroundings played a gentle lullaby starring the tumble of the waves, the whistling of the wind, and the cooing of late birds. Jack set her down outside the same shelter she had rested in earlier that day. Inside were several bodies. Although they weren't moving, it was too soon for them to have fallen asleep.
Before Cassie could crawl inside, Jack tugged on her shirt and pulled her close to him.
"Ralph can't be leader forever," he whispered. Cassie elbowed him in the side. He chuckled and released the hold on her shirt. She carefully scurried inside the shelter and laid on the far edge closets to the wall. She could feel Jack nimbly settle himself between her and another resting figure.
What was Jack talking about? Why wouldn't Ralph be leader during their entrapment on the island? Surely he wasn't thinking to create a mutiny. Harmony between a leader and his people would ensure a rescue and survival. Chaos would lead to their destruction. Was Jack jealous? Was that why he didn't like Ralph? If Jack was jealous, Cassie felt sympathy for him. In her opinion, jealousy was worst than hate. Sometimes you couldn't control hate. It was understandable to hate someone who had stolen money from you, or had killed your sister. If you were jealous, it was your fault.
Cassie drifted into a trouble sleep.
"Cassandra, we're not supposed to be in the forest" the little girl cried. Her head swiveled left and right, looking for any signs of human life. Her body trembled, and her dark blonde hair was matted with sweat.
"Just like we're not supposed to playing with swords?" Cassandra ran her hand over the sharp edge of the blade. Her eyes shined with an animalistic excitement. The little child's light green eyes were tearing up.
"Weren't we were going to play tag?" the child asked.
"We are Wenny," Cassie said. She held the point of the saber up to Wenny's throat.
"I'm it," she growled. Wennie's eyes widened. She turned and sprinted into the depths of the jungle. Cassandra ran after her.
The chase lasted quicker than Cassandra expected. She followed Wenny to a clearing in the jungle. Lush grass covered the ground. Colorful butterflies of green, blue, and purple filled the air. Cassandra wasted no time to plunge her saber through Wenny's pure white dress and beating heart. Cassie laughed triumphantly. Wenny sighed.
"I'm it."
"No. You're not it. You're dead."
"I'm not dead Cassandra. I'll never die." Tears built in Cassandra's eyes. She closed her wet eyes, and then shoved the sword deeper into Wenny's chest.
"Please, Wenny. Please die." Cassandra whispered. Wenny giggled.
"Oh Cassandra. I told you. I'll never die. I'm it now. I'm going to chase you forever. You'll never outrun me Cassandra."
--
Cassie shot upwards. Before she could calm herself down from her nightmare, the tears were gushing down her face. She needed to leave the shelter before she woke anyone up and they asked her what was wrong. Especially Jack.
Cassie slowly pulled herself out of the shelter. She balanced herself on her good leg and eyed the beach. The sun was barely over the horizon, painting the waters of the ocean with yellows, oranges, and reds. Cassie wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. She couldn't hear anyone moving around, so she guessed she was the first one awake.
The forest looked inviting that morning. Cassie tested her weight on her injured leg. It was stiff, but otherwise it felt fine. So, she started walking.
She stopped walking once the beach was out of sight. Being surrounded by the colorful flora cheered Cassie up each second. Yet, it reminded her of the jungle in her dreams. Perhaps taking a walk wouldn't help at all. She sighed and slowly turned away. Since she could walk, she might be able to go swimming. That cheered her up completely and she forgot about her dream.
A branch snapped in the jungle. Cassie turned around sharply. The bushes were rustling, something moving towards her. Cassie looked around wildly, searching for a weapon. She wouldn't be able to outrun anything. A weapon was her only choice. There wasn't anything around. The rustling became louder. It was only a few feet away. In a wild attempt to protect herself, Cassie held up her fists and prepared to fight.
A small child burst from bushes and landed in a heap at Cassie's feet. He was a small boy with unruly brown hair. Looking closer, Cassie could see one of his thin legs covered in bright red blood. The boy was crying.
"You have to help me! It's going to get me!" it yelled hysterically. Cassie shook her head.
"What's trying to get you?" she asked. The child raised its head. A large pink birthmark covered part of his face. Dirt and tears covered the rest. His brown eyes were wild with fear.
"The Beast! The Beast is going to get me! It's going to get us all!"
AN: Alas! The Beast has entered the story. Cue mass hysteria and a power-hungry Jack. Next chappie, Jack goes hunting, but necessarily for the island's wild pigs. ;D
Thanks to redcatlover22, Starlove18, PeruvianChilli6498, and moonlit mage for their wonderful reviews!